Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Five In A Row

So I’ve been listening to some new music lately (well, new to me at least), and I wanted to share some.

Paris Is Burning (Alex Gopher Remix) by Ladyhawke is something I could definitely lose myself in, out on the dance floor. Good beats and trance qualities are a great mix to just let wash over you as you enjoy the ride. The only thing I’m not so into is the slowed down soft ending though. For me an immediate hard cut off at the end is more effective with this sort of piece.

It’s A War by Dukes Of Windsor has a marching-style stomp-inducing hook to it that I quite liked. Definitely something I could enjoy again. Mellow enough to enjoy in the background whilst just having a drink or chilling out, and hard enough to listen to while getting ready to head out for the night as a way to rev up for the forthcoming evening. A good middle ground musically.

Brave Robot by Children Collide has a great sound. Vocally and musically I enjoyed this. It made me want to head out straight away to see some live music, preferably these guys! The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. For all my talk of wanting a hard ending with Paris Is Burning, the method used in Brave Robot is just cliché these days. It’s a little too “Wanna Be Rock Star” and since Children Collide’s music is so strong they simply don’t need it. Still, I’d be happy to lay out money for these guys!

Growing On Me by Dash & Will is another one where I could just chill and enjoy it. Mellow with great vocals. In fact the vocals are so enjoyable that I could listen to Dash & Will anytime. There’s a kind of groove within the music that makes me think of long summer evenings... but maybe that’s just me. Once again though, what is it with the cliché bits at the end of songs? Just end the song in a style that suits it and avoids clichés along the way... surely that’s not too hard to manage?

Stealing Happiness by Gin Wigmore has a quirky vocal sound. Musically it is quite different to the other tracks listed here and the quiet nature of it is an interesting one to finish on. I can picture myself with this piece on in the background as go about my day-to-day things. On my first listen of the track I liked the sound of Gin Wigmore’s vocals but it didn’t grab me as a whole... yet after another two listens I really liked it. It’s a gentle sounding piece and definitely works well enough to have in the background and not overpower your focus on work or play.

If you’d like to hear any of these tracks for yourself you can find each of them available to download for free at the following locations thanks to Universal Music Australia and WHO Magazine: